At the premises of the Railway Mixed Higher Secondary School in Perambur, several desperate pleas of ‘please maintain silence’ fell on deaf ears. Though the audience comprised largely of students of the school, they were mostly over 50 years of age, and had gathered for the first time in decades for the 121-year-old school’s first ever alumni meet.
There was just no stopping the hundreds of old students, who searched for familiar faces, who hugged, cried, and laughed, recalling old nicknames and punishments meted out. Together, they now call themselves ROSA- Railway Old Students Association.
Standing on the veranda of the building, century architecture with bay windows and a belfry, Sreekumar Potti, S. Seetha Sastri, J. Prabhakaran and now his wife Nalini Prabhakar, who all passed out in the late fifties and early sixties walked this way and that, and pointed to the ground where they were made to kneel, and proudly said that even in those days their classrooms had two fans.
“You look at the bell there,” asked Ms. Seetha pointing at the bell on an old tower. “That bell was rung at the end of every period, and it used to be loud and clear.”
The oldest teacher who came for the inauguration was 80-year old R. Pereira who had come all the way from Perangalathur for the function.
When the ex-principal J. Rajendran came to the hall, passions ran high. And each of the teachers felicitated at the event got a round of thundering applause, whistles and a standing ovation.
According to the history collected by the Alumini Association, the school was started in 1891 exclusively for railway employees and had European, Anglo-Indian and Indian students., Railway schools were classified either as Anglo-Indian or European schools and were first established in Madras and Bombay presidencies.
Railway schools have always been on the forefront when it came to promoting sports, music and guides and scouts. The school has had several achievers such as Baby Thomas, who was a former 100m National and Asian Games Champion.
Chief Personal officer N. Swaminathan, Southern Railway, and Sr D.P.O. A. Narayanan also participated at the inauguration of the alumni club.
